It was also the first time so many people had come to Old Master Chen’s clinic at once.
The weather was hot, and combined with his nervousness, sweat covered his aged face as he gently comforted them:
“Ah, please wait just a little longer. I’m sorry!”
“You’re taking way too long checking pulses.”
“Exactly. Who knows when it’ll finally be our turn!”
…
Several people wiped sweat with handkerchiefs while complaining.
This only made Old Master Chen even more flustered. He immediately forgot the symptoms he had just asked about and had no choice but to ask again.
“Doctor Chen is being careful with the diagnosis. Doesn’t that make it easier to accurately find the cause of your illness?”
“If he just glanced at you and casually prescribed medicine, would you really feel at ease?”
Hearing the crisp female voice, everyone instinctively looked toward the source.
They saw a thin girl in a white shirt and black trousers stepping over the doorway and walking inside.
Hearing her words, although everyone still felt irritated, they had to admit they were soothed.
After all, who wasn’t afraid of a wrong diagnosis or incorrect medicine?
Seeing the crowd quiet down, Doctor Chen secretly let out a sigh of relief and gratefully smiled at Su Wanyin.
Su Wanyin returned the look, then moved a small stool beside Doctor Chen and sat down to carefully observe his consultations.
“Oh? Is this your granddaughter?”
An older woman waiting in line curiously looked at Su Wanyin and asked in confusion.
“No, she’s my apprentice learning medicine from me,” Old Master Chen explained with a smile, secretly thinking, “It would be wonderful if she really were my granddaughter.”
The older woman’s eyes immediately shifted as she asked:
“Then how’s her training? I just twisted my ankle while working and came to get some medicine for bruises and sprains. If she’s capable, why not let her take a look at me?”
Old Master Chen froze for a moment. Thinking of the brilliant prescription from yesterday, his expression changed slightly. He uncertainly looked at Su Wanyin, and only after seeing her nod did he smile and say:
“She’s learned pretty well. Letting her look at a sprained ankle won’t be a problem.”
The woman instantly relaxed and nodded.
However, the two elderly grandmothers standing before and behind her immediately grabbed her hand and advised against it:
“You should wait for Doctor Chen instead. This little girl doesn’t look very old. What if she turns your minor illness into something serious?”
The woman looked up at Su Wanyin’s youthful face, hesitation appearing on her own face.
She truly was in a hurry, but she was also afraid the young girl might really mess up her treatment.
“Auntie, after I examine you, the medicine I prescribe will still be checked by Doctor Chen before you receive it. But if you’re truly worried, you can continue waiting for Doctor Chen,” Su Wanyin softly said.
Her gentle tone carried an inexplicable sense of trustworthiness.
The woman hesitated several times. Thinking about the children at home still waiting for her to return and cook, she gritted her teeth and said to Su Wanyin:
“Then I’ll trouble you to take a look first.”
The moment she said that, the two old grandmothers immediately wore expressions that said “You’ll regret not listening to elders,” shaking their heads.
“Oh my, you’re really letting her treat you? If she ruins your leg, it’ll be too late for regrets!”
“That’s right. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. How could a little girl possibly know medicine?”
The two old women looked at Su Wanyin, who was around the same age as their granddaughters who had just started discussing marriage, with complete disdain.
A little girl should get married early instead of trying to practice medicine. What could she possibly know?
“Just because you can’t doesn’t mean others can’t.”
Su Wanyin’s sharp eyes swept coldly across the two women. The old ladies choked on their words, their faces turning green as they spat angrily:
“We were only trying to help, and now you treat us badly for it! When something goes wrong later, you’ll regret not listening to elders!”
Su Wanyin directly ignored them. She stood and gently supported the older woman by the arm, gesturing toward a reclining chair.
“Auntie, let me help you sit over there so I can examine you.”
The woman’s uneasy heart gradually calmed under her gentle voice. With Su Wanyin carefully supporting her, she limped over and sat down.
Su Wanyin crouched before her and gently removed her shoe. Just as she was about to take off the sock, the woman awkwardly pulled her foot back.
“How about I do it myself?”
“It’s alright. It’s inconvenient for you right now,” Su Wanyin softly replied.
She cleanly removed the sock, which had a hole at the big toe, revealing an ankle swollen terribly high, bruised purple and blue.
She gently lifted the woman’s foot, showing not the slightest trace of disgust. After carefully examining the injury, she softly asked a few questions about how and when it happened.
Seeing no disgust on Su Wanyin’s face, the woman finally relaxed and recalled:
“I was working in the fields and accidentally stepped into a hole, twisting my foot. I didn’t hear any cracking sounds, but it hurts so badly I break out in cold sweat just walking.”
Su Wanyin nodded after hearing this, already understanding the situation.
She turned around, took a bottle of medicinal wine for bruises and sprains from the medicine cabinet, poured some into her palm, rubbed it warm, and began massaging the woman’s ankle.
“Auntie, it might hurt a little, but once I massage it properly, it won’t hurt anymore.”
“Alright, go ahead!” The woman usually treated injuries herself by applying hot towels and painfully rubbing them on her own. If the pain hadn’t become so severe that she could barely walk, she wouldn’t have been willing to come all the way into the city for treatment.
Su Wanyin’s technique was skilled, her strength perfectly controlled. While massaging, she chatted casually with the woman.
As the two talked back and forth, the woman gradually relaxed. The pain in her ankle disappeared, replaced only by comforting warmth, and she slowly became more talkative.
The two elderly grandmothers waiting in line saw the pair chatting happily and couldn’t help loudly complaining:
“Is she treating an illness or just chatting? Doctor Chen, aren’t you going to say anything?”
“Exactly. She’s not even focused on the treatment. Little girls just can’t handle serious work!”
Doctor Chen handed medicine to the patient before him and glanced toward Su Wanyin. Seeing her skilled movements and the smile appearing on the older woman’s face, he immediately understood that most of the injury had already improved.
“My apprentice’s technique is excellent. She’s treating her very well. If you don’t understand medicine, then stop talking nonsense,” Doctor Chen calmly said.
Instantly, the two old women looked embarrassed. They desperately wanted to switch clinics, but they couldn’t bear to give up the cheap consultation fees at this shop.
At that moment, the older woman also praised happily:
“That’s right! Doctor Su’s medical skills are excellent. I feel like my foot is already completely healed!”
As she spoke, she directly stood up and even took a few steps.
There was no trace left of the difficulty walking and painful expression she had when she first arrived.
Immediately, the two elderly women stared in disbelief at her bandaged ankle and her relaxed, comfortable expression, utterly shocked.
What kind of technique was this? Previously, when they fell while working, even after applying medicinal oil, the pain would still last a long time.
Su Wanyin then prepared several herbal prescriptions to reduce swelling and bruising. Just as she was about to hand them to Doctor Chen for inspection, the older woman waved her hand decisively.
“Doctor Su, just pack up the medicine directly. I trust you.”
While they had been chatting earlier, Doctor Su had already mentioned that her ankle also had old injuries and that it would be best to take medicine to reduce swelling and bruising. She had also deliberately prescribed the most economical and effective herbs possible.
These days, clinics all wanted to raise medicine prices and prescribe piles of useless medicine.
How could one possibly come across such a conscientious and kind doctor anymore?